Posted on by Staff Report

Completing the stage sweep, Denny Hamlin won Stage 2 of Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led from Lap 123 to 160 to take the mini victory.

Rookie Tyler Reddick, who won two NASCAR Xfinity Series championships at Miami, finished runner-up to Hamlin in the second stage. He’s even credited now with two laps led at the 1.5-mile Florida track in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and William Byron rounded out the top five. Alex Bowman, Martin Truex Jr., Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola completed the top 10.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Through the first two stages, Hamlin led 51 laps. Blaney led a race-high 69 laps. Hamlin actually took the lead from Blaney during some green-flag pit stops. Hamlin pitted a lap sooner than the No. 12 Team Penske Ford driver and reclaimed the front spot when he returned to the track.

After two red flags and three cautions, not including stage conclusions, there was not a single yellow flag thrown throughout Stage 2.

The third and final stage was set for 107 laps.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 10
2 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing 9
3 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 8
4 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 7
5 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports 6
6 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 5
7 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 4
8 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing 3
9 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 2
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 1

 

STAGE 1 RECAP

With four laps to go in the opening stage of Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400, Denny Hamlin took the lead from Ryan Blaney and kept it to win Stage 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The mini victory marked Hamlin’s second stage win of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. He led eight laps of the 80-lap opener in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, starting from the pole position after a random draw set the starting lineup earlier this week.

Blaney, who led a race-high 39 laps, finished second, followed by rookie Tyler Reddick. Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola made up the rest of the top five, while Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Clint Bowyer and Chris Buescher completed the top 10.

RELATED: Stage 1 results

Joey Logano took the lead from Hamlin on the first go-around and led 27 laps in the early going. He ultimately finished 20th in the first stage.

It took a while for action to truly get going. A light shower paired with a lightning delay pushed the start back nearly an hour. Five laps were then completed before a red flag came out due to lightning in the area again. That red flag lasted 2 hours, 8 minutes and 5 seconds. Another 28 laps were turned before a second red flag flew. That pause lasted 38 minutes and 43 seconds.

Cars remained on track from then on out for Stage 1.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 10
2 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 9
3 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing 8
4 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 7
5 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 6
6 Brad Keselowski Team Penske 5
7 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 4
8 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports 3
9 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 2
10 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing 1
Posted on by Staff Report

Midway through last week, NASCAR made national headlines by announcing Wednesday the display of the confederate flag would be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties moving forward.

People took notice, including New Orleans Saints three-time Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara.

Kamara tuned in to watch that night’s NASCAR Cup Series race, an entertaining showdown at Martinsville Speedway under the lights for the first time in the storied history of the legendary track. He was hooked.

Luckily for Kamara — who conveniently trains in Miami, close to Sunday’s action at Homestead-Miami Speedway — he didn’t need to wait long to check out NASCAR racing in person. The 24-year-old was a guest of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet, driven by Bubba Wallace.

MORE: Wallace picking up speed on, off track amid social-injustice discussions

It sure seemed like he enjoyed himself.

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Posted on by Staff Report

Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series’ Dixie Vodka 400 has been hampered by four delays for lightning in the early going at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The field was stopped around 7:30 p.m. ET with 33 of a scheduled 267 laps complete and Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the lead. He led just four laps before the race was red-flagged.

Five laps were run before a stoppage of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 5 seconds. The race was initially delayed by rain and lightning in the area, but the race went green at 4:50 p.m. ET, nearly an hour after the originally scheduled green flag time.

A brief shower in Turns 3 and 4 put a hold on engines being fired after the command was given. Lightning in the area placed the event in a 30-minute hold right around 4 p.m. ET.

RELATED: Miami schedule | Briscoe wins in double OT finish in Xfinity | Lineup for Cup race

Drivers were called back to their cars at roughly 6:10 p.m. ET, with hopes of resuming and completing the full distance, but about 10 minutes after that — with drivers buckled in and engines freshly fired — another strike of lightning forced another hold.

Teams completed 28 more laps before the next stoppage. Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Tyler Reddick was second to Elliott in the running order. Joey Logano, who led a race-high 27 laps in the early going, was third.

The Dixie Vodka 400 is a 267-lap race with Stage 1 ending at Lap 80, Stage 2 concluding at Lap 160 and the Final Stage scheduled to end at Lap 267. The Cup Series race comes after the second of two Xfinity Series races in two days at the 1.5-mile track.

This race marks the first event with fans in the stands as 1,000 guests from local military bases were invited. This is the 12th Cup Series event of the season and the eighth since the season resumed after a stoppage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posted on by Staff Report

AJ Allmendinger scrambled to a $100,000 payday in a pair of overtime restarts Sunday, claiming the Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash bonus at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

RELATED: Official race results

Allmendinger finished fourth in the Contender Boats 250, besting the three other eligible drivers — Noah Gragson, Justin Haley and Daniel Hemric. Allmendinger earned his eligibility with his first oval-track victory June 6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Gragson’s shot at a second straight payout ended in heartache with another late-race fade at Homestead. Saturday, he led a race-high 83 laps and wound up third after a late caution period created a lineup-shuffling restart. Sunday was a near-repeat as Gragson led 81 laps but dipped to a fifth-place finish in double overtime — just behind Allmendinger.

Gragson clinched the $100,000 prize in the opening Dash 4 Cash event, finishing second at Atlanta.

RELATED: Everything to know about the Dash 4 Cash program

Haley — Allmendinger’s teammate with Kaulig Racing — finished sixth. Hemric dropped from contention on the first overtime attempt as a multicar crash with Riley Herbst and Michael Annett sent his No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet into the inside retaining wall, ending his day in 31st place. Allmendinger was also involved as Herbst veered in front of his No. 16 Chevrolet on the backstretch.

Two more Xfinity Series races remain in the Dash 4 Cash bonus program: Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway and June 28 at Pocono Raceway. Allmendinger, Chase Briscoe, Brandon Jones and Ross Chastain are the four drivers eligible for the $100,00 prize at Talladega.

Posted on by Holly Cain

Chase Briscoe delivered a clutch restart in double overtime to hold off a hard-charging Brandon Jones at the finish line and earn the victory in Sunday’s Contender Boats 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

It was a feel-good ending to a challenging weekend for Briscoe, who had to make up six laps in Saturday’s Xfinity race to score a seventh-place finish, and then had to race without his fulltime crew chief and car chief on Sunday as they served a penalty from infractions on Saturday.

RELATED: Race results | 2020 Xfinity schedule

Stewart-Haas Racing executive Greg Zipadelli, who led team owner Tony Stewart to a pair of NASCAR Cup Series championships, manned the pit box in their absence, earning his first career Xfinity Series victory atop the pit box. Zipadelli stepped in for crew chief Richard Boswell, who was one of three SHR crew members suspended for a ballast violation in pace laps before Saturday’s race.

“That was a team win for sure,” said Briscoe, who led 11 laps to earn his fifth career victory and third of the season. “Yesterday we were so good and then today, I don’t know if it was the heat or what, we just weren’t very good. We were decent on the long run, but the 9 (Noah Gragson) was definitely better. Just a testament to all the guys at Stewart-Haas Racing.”

It was a wild ending to a day that mostly featured a master class by the JR Motorsports driver Gragson, who led the most laps (83 on Saturday, 81 on Sunday) both days and was meters from taking the white flag in regulation — with a nearly 2-second lead on the field — when third-place Austin Cindric spun out, bringing out a caution.

Briscoe’s No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford beat Gragson’s Chevrolet out of the pits during the ensuing stop and was able to hold off the weekend’s most dominant driver on the first restart when another caution came out for a wreck just a couple rows behind the leader.

Briscoe jumped out to the lead on the next restart, too, having to get by Jones this time and hold off the Joe Gibbs Racing driver at the line by a mere .072-seconds.

Ross Chastain finished third, just in front of his Kaulig Racing teammate AJ Allmendinger, who earned the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus money. Allmendinger outran three other drivers — fifth-place Gragson, teammate Haley in sixth and 31st-place Daniel Hemric — eligible for the bonus. Gragson had claimed the six-figure payday the previous weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

MORE: Allmendinger scurries to Dash 4 Cash prize

The incentive program moves to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway next week and drivers Briscoe, Jones, Chastain and Allmendinger will be eligible to win the next $100,000 bonus there.

Gragson, who dominated both races of the NASCAR Xfinity Series weekend doubleheader, settled for fifth after falling back on the second restart. He was silent on his team radio on the cool-down lap, clearly disappointed and frustrated.

“I don’t know what to tell you, you worked extremely hard and I’m proud of our effort,” his crew chief David Elenz told him as the field came back into the garage after the race.

Haley, Myatt Snider, Harrison Burton, Riley Herbst and Cindric rounded out the top 10. Harrison Burton, who rallied from a flat tire with seven laps left in regulation, has finished in the top 10 in every race this season. He becomes the first rookie in Xfinity history to start his first full season with 10 consecutive top 10s, breaking the mark of nine set by Carl Edwards in 2005.

Ryan Sieg won the opening stage – the second straight day he won a stage – and Gragson won the second stage – his series-leading fifth stage win of the season.

Gragson, who has top-five finishes in the last four races, holds an 18-point edge over Briscoe in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings.

The Xfinity Series’ next race is the Unhinged 300, scheduled Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, Sirius) at Talladega Superspeedway. It will mark the third of four races in the 2020 Dash 4 Cash program.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon and wife Whitney welcomed their first child, the couple revealed on social media Sunday. The baby’s name is Ace RC Dillon.

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Dillon, who drives the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, explained the meaning behind his son’s name after he and Whitney picked it back in February.

“‘RC’ obviously is for my grandfather,” Dillon said. “My logo has always been the Ace of Spades and my grandfather always said ‘ace in the hole.’ So, I was like this is a good time to make my kid the ace in the hole and hopefully he’s better than me.”

RELATED: Austin Dillon through the years 

Married in 2017, the two announced they were expecting late last year in December with a photoshoot at Charlotte Motor Speedway, site of Dillon’s first career NASCAR Cup Series victory in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600. He has two Cup victories to date with the second coming in the 2018 Daytona 500.

As Dillon mentioned in the post, he still planned to race Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by PJ Walsh

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

After 500 laps around the half-mile Martinsville Speedway on Wednesday night, the NASCAR Cup Series is back in action at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday.

Not having practice since NASCAR’s return from the COVID-19 pandemic has made handicapping race winners more difficult than normal, but the return to a 1.5-mile racetrack provides us more recent data to lean on.

Last weekend, the Cup Series raced at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a high tire-wear 1.5-mile circuit just like Miami, so this is an important race to analyze.

In addition, we’ll also look at performances in The Real Heroes 500 at Darlington Raceway back on May 17 because that track also wears out tires quickly and, more importantly, the tire combination used in that event will be the same combination used on Sunday at Miami.

I’m specifically interested in data from The Real Heroes 500 as opposed to the Toyota 500, which took place three days later at Darlington, as the first event was run in the heat of the day, while the Wednesday race ran at night on a cooler racetrack.

Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 is also a day race, so I want to know which cars were best on a hot, slick track at Darlington as that will be much more similar to what the drivers experience at Miami.

After looking at historical Miami data, as well as recent results from Atlanta and Darlington, here are two drivers I’m betting for the Dixie Vodka 400.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@PJWalsh24) for any additional bets I make for Miami.

NASCAR at Miami Odds, Betting Picks

Odds as of Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET and via DraftKings. Get up to a $1,000 sign-up bonus at DraftKings today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.

Kevin Harvick (+500) to win at Miami

With Tyler Reddick already in tow at 70-1, I’m passing on the mid-tier and going right for my two favorites to win the race — the first of which is Kevin Harvick.

Here are Harvick’s stats from the two day races run at high tire-wear tracks since NASCAR’s return: two wins, best driver rating, best average running position, most laps led and most fast laps run.

And here are Harvick’s finishes at Miami since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014: first, second, third, fourth, third and fourth.

Martin Truex Jr. (+500) to win at Miami

While Harvick was the best driver in the heat of the day at Darlington and Atlanta, Truex was clearly the second-best performer.

Over those two races, Truex is tied for the second-best average finish, has run the second-most fast laps, has led the third-most laps and posted the second-best driver rating.

Just like Harvick, Truex has also been a rocket ship at Miami, including finishes of first, second and second over his last three races with the most fast laps run in last year’s event, which is significant because it’s the same aero package the Cup Series will run Sunday.

And finally, since Truex won Wednesday night at Martinsville he’ll have the best pit stall at Miami, which will only help his cause.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials penalized the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 98 Ford team after Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, issuing four-race suspensions for three team members.

RELATED: Race results | Xfinity Series standings

Chase Briscoe drove the No. 98 Ford to a seventh-place finish in Saturday’s Hooters 250, but the car dropped ballast during pace laps, delaying the start and forcing Briscoe to lose several laps for repairs. The safety violation falls under Section 12.5.2.7.4.d of the NASCAR Rule Book.

The infraction means four-race bans for No. 98 crew chief Richard Boswell, car chief Nick Hutchins and engineer DJ Vanderley.

With the Xfinity Series set to resume Sunday as part of a weekend doubleheader for the tour, the suspensions are to take effect starting with Sunday’s Contender Boats 250 (noon ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM).

Posted on by Holly Cain

It almost appeared that Kyle Busch having to start last – and going a lap down – in Saturday night’s Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway was akin to the NASCAR Gander & RV Outdoors Truck Series all-time winningest driver giving everyone a head-start.

But even that challenge wasn’t enough to keep Busch from victory. He added to his record series win total – extending that mark of excellence to 58 trophies, taking the checkered flag 2.847 seconds ahead of Tyler Ankrum, then Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott and Johnny Sauter in a dramatic final restart with six laps remaining.

Todd Gilliland, Austin Hill, Christian Eckes, Matt Crafton and Ty Majeski completed the top 10.

RELATED: Official race results

As the race played out, with a caution coming out with 12 laps to go, some drivers were able to pit for brand-new tires and others – such as Busch – put on a barely-worn set, making for a suspenseful final restart that did not disappoint. Busch was able to hold off the field – prevailing in a three-wide fight for the lead – and earn his third career win at the Homestead 1.5-miler.

“You’re always concerned about tires being better and having the opportunity to out-show you, but I felt like six laps was just the right amount, any more than that and it probably would have been a different outcome,” said Busch, who drove the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota.

“I knew the Cessna Beechcraft Toyota Tundra here was going to be awesome. Thanks to TRD and Rowdy Energy, everybody that helps us here and makes us so fast and want to say thanks to Big Machine Hand Sanitizer as well, they were on the quarter panel the last two weeks and we didn’t win and now they’re not here and we won.”

Busch was originally penalized for failing inspection – forced to start last in the 38-truck field then take a “drive through” penalty through the pits on the first lap. While he was starting to make his way up through the field, the defending Homestead winner and Saturday night’s pole-sitter Austin Hill took control of the race.

Hill, Florida native Ross Chastain and Grant Enfinger fought for the early-race advantage and Chastain earned the opening stage victory. Busch was ninth on the ensuing restart and moved to second place in only one lap, ultimately taking the lead for the first time on Lap 39 of the 134-lap race.

MORE: Homestead-Miami weekend schedule

Chastain won the opening stage, and Busch rallied from his early race deficit to win the second stage.

Busch held the point easily through caution periods and challenges – leading Hill by 3.5 seconds with 40 laps remaining. When a final caution came out for Jordan Anderson’s truck with 12 to go – most of the leaders pitted for tires and those such as Ankrum and Elliott, who had brand-new sets made up a lot of ground and earned top-five finishes.

Busch collects his 211th NASCAR national series victory — most all-time. It was also Kyle Busch Motorsports’ sixth series win at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Toyota’s 11th series win at the 1.5-mile track.

Hill extended his points lead to 44 points over Eckes and 48 points up on two-time 2020 winner Enfinger in third.

The series will next be in action on June 27 at Pocono Raceway for the Pocono Organics 150 to benefit Farm Aid (12:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). This will be the sixth race of the 2020 season.

Note: The No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet of Chastain was missing one lug nut in a post-race check.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Zack Albert

Dale Earnhardt Jr. admitted to carrying a bundle of nerves in the days leading up to his lone NASCAR Xfinity Series race of the season, saying that the mix of anticipation and anxiety made him “difficult to be around.” Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he made the most of this year’s one shot, then contemplated how many more he might have.

Earnhardt finished fifth in Saturday’s Hooters 250, completing a competitive drive in a two-lap dash to the end in the JR Motorsports No. 8 Chevrolet. He led four laps and stayed entrenched among the top five and top 10 for the majority of the sweltering day at the 1.5-mile Florida track.

RELATED: Relive Dale Jr.’s career in photos | Dale Jr.’s best No. 8 paint schemes

The 45-year-old driver retired from full-time competition with his final NASCAR Cup Series start at Homestead back in 2017. But since then, he’s stayed involved through ownership of his JR Motorsports operation, which has fielded cars for Earnhardt once a year as a driver-owner.

The results have been staggeringly consistent — fourth at Richmond in 2018, fifth at Darlington last year and Saturday’s fifth-place run. But Earnhardt wondered aloud how many more of these might be on his schedule, as he balances team ownership with his roles as an NBC Sports broadcaster and a husband and father of two.

“I think right now it’s just going to stay the same,” Earnhardt said. “I don’t want to do any more, that’s for sure. I can say that with confidence. I don’t know how many more of these I’ll do. This might be the last one, and this ain’t no tease or anything like that. I’m not trying to be annoying about that. It’s a lot of a commitment, and I just … I don’t know. It’s getting to the point to where I’ve got to decide whether I’m helping things or I’m not helping the team, how can I help the team in other ways. I don’t know.

“I really enjoy it. I really do, but I think there’s got to be a point to where I decide to make the change to broadcasting entirely. With that said, being in the car today, I certainly learned a ton that’s going to help me in the (broadcast) booth. I’ve just got to think about it, and I certainly don’t want to run more. One is plenty and it’s a great series. We’ll just see how it goes. I guess it’s a tough question to answer.”

Earnhardt showed little signs of rust in his first race since last August, even without practice or qualifying with COVID-19 protocols still in place for essential personnel. The feeling of anticipation didn’t fully fade until he rolled off in pace laps and settled into a rhythm. That groove had him poised to finish as high as second until a late caution shuffled the order.

“I thought I knew what the drivers’ mindset might be in these type of situations over the last several weeks with no laps, no practice, just a lot of pressure,” Earnhardt said. “But I really underestimated it. It’s harder than I thought. It’s more anxiety than I imagined, so I was a little difficult to be around the last couple days, just having the anxiety of it. Leading up to getting in the car, I started feeling better, I guess, once they fired the motor and starting messing with things in the car. … I really started feeling comfortable at that point, but I worked myself up for the last 72 hours.”

RELATED: Dale Jr. says ‘never been more proud of the leadership of our sport’

The next 72 hours for Earnhardt will wind up with finding out whether he’ll be included in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021. Earnhardt indicated he plans to record his “Dale Jr. Download” podcast Tuesday, reacting in real time to the release of the results at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

“Whether we are chosen to go into the Hall of Fame or not, I’m already honored and I think it’ll be a fun experience to sort of document through our podcast,” Earnhardt said. “I’ve said this from the start and I really feel it in my heart that everybody on that list belongs in there, and it doesn’t seem like at this point that there’s one more deserving than the other. To that respect, I’m young enough to wait my turn, and there’s a lot of names that are not on that list that need to be on that list, and we’re all going to argue that every year. But I’m just honored already.”